This is a clip from Tribe of the Snow Tigerand I hope it works without the full scene context. Teasers are getting tougher, but this is going to be the last one for at least a month. Next week will see Character Profiles on Tuesday and Thursday. August will be up in the air since I still want to help people promote their books while I consider doing the same for my next one. Considering handing Thursday off to any authors who want to give a teaser or guest post for a book. Anyway, off to the teaser:

“We don’t have time for this,” Nyx growls as she kicks her chair away. The channeler coats her fist in condensed wind while approaching the bars, the glowing Compass Key tattoo burning a hole in her shirt and cloak. “The temple is waiting and our friends are on the other side of the continent. This mess shouldn’t get in our way. I’m breaking Timoran out of here and we’re leaving for Aintaranurh. Even if I have to raze Stonehelm to the ground and blast this tribe out of my way, I’m getting us out of here.”

“What is wrong with you, fire sprite?” Timoran asks as he gets closer to the bars. Moving directly in front of the channeler, he hopes that his friend will stop with him so close to her target. “You are talking about attacking my homeland and tribe. Exile though I may be, I am still loyal to these people and do not wish for harm to come to them.”

“Then hate me for what I’m about to do, but I’m not in the mood for dealing with your past.”

Nyx rears back to shatter the bars, which causes Cyrus to rush from his post and Luke to dive for her arm. A powerful gale knocks both warriors down the hallway, the barbarian crashing through the locked door. With a look of madness in her eyes, the channeler screams and throws her devastating punch. The spell abruptly flickers out of existence as her mind is engulfed in a distracting shriek and a knee hits her in the stomach. Faking a savage punch to Nyx’s head, Dariana pushes the half-elf to the floor and coaxes her into a restless slumber. Bursts of magic continue to erupt from the shuddering channeler as Udelia storms down the hallway.

“What is going on here?” asks the sheriff, her massive sword aimed at the foreigners. She lets the tip fall and stop an inch from Nyx’s face, the unconscious champion unaware of the danger. “Did she attempt a jail break?”

“Yes, but there is something wrong with her,” Dariana answers, pointing at where Luke is groaning in the corner. Her fingers run along the fragile edges of the hole in Nyx’s shirt, the fabric crinkling beneath her touch. “Timoran was trying to talk her out of doing anything foolish before she attacked all of us. This is odd. She has rashes all over her body. Is there a healer with knowledge of magic that I can take her too? I think my friend is sick and she isn’t a person that you want to leave unchecked.”

“I should arrest you.”

Timoran clears his throat and bows his head to the blonde barbarian. “Please let her see one of the shamans. Nyx and I are like siblings. I know you owe me nothing, Sheriff Kalten, but all I am asking is that you let my friend get help. Besides, you know we lack a prison that can contain a Near God. If you do not do this for me then do it for . . . her.”

“Take your friend to the shaman who lives in a hut by the eastern border,” Udelia says without a second of hesitation. She walks to the bars and opens one in order to grab Timoran by his hair. “I don’t want you to pull that trick on me ever again. Leave her out of this or I will kill you before the trial.”

The sheriff turns on her heels and marches toward the doorway, pausing briefly to hoist Luke to his feet by palming his head. Dariana cradles Nyx as she stands, the sensation of lightning running through her body making it difficult to walk. She is thankful when Luke takes the unconscious woman, his body absorbing the mild electricity thanks to the griffin spirit. With a chorus of good-byes, they leave Timoran to sit in his cell and stare at the empty wall. As night falls, the solitary section of the jail becomes a silent tomb that freezes time and makes the lone prisoner unsure if he is awake or dreaming.

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About Charles Yallowitz

Charles E. Yallowitz was born, raised, and educated in New York. Then he spent a few years in Florida, realized his fear of alligators, and moved back to the Empire State. When he isn't working hard on his epic fantasy stories, Charles can be found cooking or going on whatever adventure his son has planned for the day. 'Legends of Windemere' is his first series, but it certainly won't be his last.